Everything We Know About TikToker Katie Feeney
Born in 2002 to a deputy state attorney father and event planner manager mother, Katie Feeney was pretty much a complete unknown at the start of the decade. But having since amassed nearly 600 million TikTok likes and billions of YouTube views, she's now one of the most popular sports-based personalities in the social media sphere.
And the wider world is starting to take note, too. Feeney has been tapped up by everyone from the Washington Commanders to the White House in recent years for her ability to make short-form content both educational and entertaining. You may well have seen her cover the Super Bowl, the World Series, and her much-loved Penn State college football team, too.
But what exactly do we know about Feeney the person? From business ambitions and dancing beginnings to power couple relationships and hefty bank balances, here's a deep dive into the life of the young trailblazer.
Katie Feeney began her social media career dancing
Don't be surprised if Katie Feeney is offered a chance to compete on "Dancing With the Stars" in the near future. The broadcast journalism student began her thriving social media career throwing some shapes on Musical.ly. And judging by the amount of followers she accrued, the star must have been pretty nifty, too.
In a chat with Elite Daily, Feeney spoke about how she first started uploading videos online purely for fun: "I made a lot of dance videos because I was dancing for hours a day, and some started to go viral, and I gained a bit of a following. Once I got into high school, I'd make TikTok videos with my friends, but I stopped for a little bit because being known as the 'TikTok girl' was hard for me."
Feeney has actually been dancing since the age of four, attending classes in her Olney hometown with her event planner mother. She continued to pursue the art form with friends either side of their sports practice sessions and she was even responsible for starting a TikTok dance challenge based on Madcon's cover version of Frankie Valli's "Beggin'" which subsequently went viral.
Sea monkeys played a part in Katie Feeney's rise to fame
Forget baking banana bread, Zoom quizzes, or any of the other ways we all tried to keep ourselves busy during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. On the suggestion of her mother, Katie Feeney decided to buy some sea monkeys to keep herself occupied. And despite looking nothing like they do on their packaging, the little critters ended up playing a major part in the TikToker's online journey.
Feeney had already amassed a significant following on TikTok — approximately two million — by the time we all went into lockdown. But her profile was boosted even further when she began documenting the progress of her novelty pets. And pretty soon, a whole host of companies were offering huge sums of money for the Maryland native to review their products in a similar way.
Feeney's sea monkeys story didn't have an entirely happy ending, though. As anyone who kept the aquarium favorites as a kid will already know, they don't have a particularly long life span. And as she told her TikTok followers, by day 127, each and every single one had perished.
Katie Feeney became a millionaire with unboxing videos
The idea that watching a random stranger opening random boxes could be classed as entertainment is no doubt unthinkable to anyone born before the millennium. But the online activity has so many fans that it's earned some of its biggest proponents eye-watering amounts of cash. Just ask Katie Feeney, who became a millionaire at the age of just 18 largely due to such content on Snapchat's Spotlight feature.
In an interview with The New York Times about the new generation of money-making influencers, Feeney acknowledged that the sums she received from the social media platform surpassed any of her wildest dreams: "I think it's going to take me a while to really process it."
Feeney, then still a senior at her Olney High School, also revealed that the windfall had allowed her to consider various colleges that had previously been financially unattainable: "I now have the opportunity to go to the school of my choice. For a lot of people Spotlight is going to change their life and it's unbelievable." The influencer ended up attending Penn State University where she first studied business before changing her major to broadcast journalism.
Katie Feeney is an NFL game-changer
Forget the likes of Sam Howell, Terry McLaurin, and Jacoby Brissett. The most famous member of the Washington Commanders set-up is now arguably a Penn State University student who only ever steps foot on the field to conduct interviews.
In 2022, Katie Feeney broke new ground when she was appointed by the franchise as the NFL's first ever official social media correspondent. And the Maryland native didn't waste any time in proving her worth. While the Commanders' Instagram posts had previously racked up a few thousand likes at best, their new recruit was soon boosting that tally to more than 40,000.
"There aren't a lot of people my age in the professional sports industry — and there definitely are not a lot of women — so being able to do this feels really cool," Feeney told New York Post. And her enthusiasm for the team is completely genuine, too. She grew up going to games with her older brothers and parents, all of whom were in attendance at the FedEx Field when Feeney was trying out for the coveted position.
Katie Feeney didn't plan to become a sports influencer
Katie Feeney might have made history as the first ever social media correspondent to be officially appointed by the NFL. But although she's always been a sports fan, she never envisaged establishing a career in the field. In fact, she initially had money on her mind.
Yes, Feeney first attended Penn State University to study business. But after gracing the college football field for the first time, she got hooked and subsequently switched her major to broadcast journalism. The star told Her Campus, "It was so unreal: the atmosphere, the students ... I knew from that point forward, I needed to pursue something in sports, because there really is nothing like it."
And from the sounds of it, Feeney can't wait to make full use of her degree. Referring to her impending 21st birthday in 2023, the TikToker said, "I'm excited about it! It means I'm one step closer to graduating and entering the real world. After that, the possibilities are endless."
Katie Feeney isn't a huge party animal
Katie Feeney might be enjoying the college life as a student of Penn State University. But that doesn't mean she's spending every evening playing beer pong at frat houses. In fact, the TikToker appears to prefer the quieter life when it comes to socializing.
Discussing the upcoming 21st birthday celebrations her pals were planning in a 2023 interview with Her Campus, Feeney remarked, "I told them I don't want anything big. I'm not a huge partier. I just want dinner with the girls, but I know they're not going to do that." In fact, Feeney seemed more excited about the work opportunities that would open up on passing the life milestone than any wild bashes: "There are certain brands and events I can work with now that I'm 21. It'll be helpful that there won't be any restrictions from that standpoint anymore."
But does Feeney protest too much? The star has been pictured at a whole host of events over the last few years including the premiere of "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl Party, and the Kelce House Party.
Katie Feeney wants to start a podcast
You could argue that the last thing that the world needs now is another podcast. After all, there are reportedly 3.2 million different ones available for your audio pleasure already. But Katie Feeney obviously believes that she can find a space in the ridiculously crowded market.
When asked about her ultimate career goal by Elite Daily in 2023, Feeney replied, "I would also love to have my own podcast and my own business. For a podcast, I'd like to be able to share words of wisdom going from being a teenage girl to now in college, and talk about health and fitness and what it's like being a woman in sports. Not only the cool things I've been able to do, but also the everyday stuff that everyone deals with."
So is Feeney not concerned that she might be trying to cover too many bases all at once? Apparently not. The TikToker said, "I'm exploring every lane possible, but I think that's OK. I don't think I have to pick one."
Katie Feeney is in a power couple
Watch out Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. There's another loved-up pair mixing the worlds of showbiz and professional sport. Social media influencer Kate Feeney and MiLB outfielder Jack Hurley might not be at the same power couple stage as the Grammy/Super Bowl winners yet, but there's always time.
According to Tech Radar, Feeney and Hurley first went public in the spring of 2022 with an Instagram snap. The following month, the former posted another intimate picture of the pair captioned "Cloud 9," and both parties have regularly appeared on each other's social platforms since.
And they're both moving on up in the world. While Feeney has been laying the groundwork for her sports journalism career thanks to her work with the NFL, Hurley has been busy establishing himself in the world of Minor League Baseball, enjoying stints with both the Visalia Rawhide and Hillsboro Hops. In an interview with Baseball America, the sportsman said, "Getting used to wood bats, playing every day against pretty good competition — it was new, but it's what I signed up for and what I want to do for a long time."
Katie Feeney wants to make a change
As well as making a name for herself in the social media world and studying for a broadcast journalism degree at Penn State University, influencer Katie Feeney has also somehow found the time to engage in several charitable endeavors.
As she revealed in an interview with Elite Daily, the TikToker helped raise funds for childhood cancer research as both a freshman and sophomore while participating in Penn State THON, the biggest philanthropic organization in the world to be run by students.
Although not quite as important as potentially saving lives, Feeney also hopes to make a change when it comes to her social media work. When asked about her role with the Washington Commanders, she said, "I love getting to show people things they wouldn't normally be able to see. Reaching a younger fan base is a goal of mine — getting people to fall in love with football who maybe have never watched a game before."
Katie Feeney is getting political
Although the sporting world is undoubtedly Katie Feeney's current forte, the influencer also seems more than happy to dip her toes into other areas of the online sphere. Take her 2022 appointment with none other than the White House, for example.
Yes, recognizing her ability to connect with a younger generation, a presidential team decided to hire Feeney as a social media correspondent to help spread the word. In a press statement, it was revealed that one of the Penn State University student's main tasks would also be to help "curb the spread of inaccurate facts."
In her first day on the job, Feeney got the chance to report on First Lady Jill Biden's annual holiday decorations. And Emily Barkann, a Chief White House Correspondent, couldn't have been happier to have the TikToker as a colleague: "[Katie] has clearly shown ample promise for a flourishing career in broadcasting," she remarked in a press statment (via AKSM Media). "And I cannot wait to help her grow and watch all of her future successes!"
Katie Feeney now tries to ignore the haters
Katie Feeney was routinely bullied during her early years as a social media personality. In fact, the abuse got so bad that the then-middle schooler once thought about giving the whole online game up.
Luckily, Feeney soldiered on and is now able to block out any of her haters as she explained to New York Post: "If someone is taking time out of their day to say something mean, they're probably going through something so I try not to take it personally. If you have a big following on social media, you'll get a lot of mean people in your feed."
But the Washington Commanders correspondent, who with 3.48 million subscribers on YouTube alone can certainly lay claim to having a big following on social media, believes that her fans far outweigh her detractors: "People have been nice and respectful. For the most part, I've received a lot of positive responses, and it's always a fun thing when someone notices me when I'm out."
Katie Feeney isn't a big spender
While most of us would have splashed the cash on a fast motor, wild holiday, or swanky pad if we became overnight millionaires at the age of 19, Katie Feeney is a little more sensible. In fact, the TikToker hasn't even treated herself to a handbag since becoming rich beyond her wildest dreams.
Instead, in a move which would impress any financial expert, Feeney decided to invest most of the money she earned from unpacking boxes and spend the rest on her Penn State University education. "I made this crazy amount of money and have no idea what to do with it," she told New York Post. "I'm not a big spender."
Despite having enough money to hire her own personal chauffeur, Feeney still insists on traveling by Uber and moaning about its surcharges, too. Referring to her slightly thrifty attitude, she added, "My mom will joke, 'You can afford to spend an extra $5 on an Uber. You just made a million dollars.'"